This invention relates in general to body and frame assemblies for use in vehicles. In particular, this invention relates to a structure for connecting a body mount bushing to one or more tubular members that are formed from closed channel structural members in such a vehicular body and frame assembly.
Many land vehicles in common use, such as automobiles, vans, and trucks, include a body and frame assembly that is supported upon a plurality of ground engaging wheels by a resilient suspension system. The structures of known body and frame assemblies can be divided into two general categories, namely, separate and unitized. In a typical separate body and frame assembly, the structural components of the frame portion are separate and independent from the structural components of the body portion. Thus, the frame portion of the assembly serves as a platform upon which the structural components of the body portion and other components of the vehicle can be mounted. When assembled, the structural components frame portion of the assembly are resiliently supported upon the vehicle wheels by the suspension system. Separate body and frame assemblies of this general type are found in most older vehicles, but remain in common use today for many relatively large or specialized use modern vehicles, such as large vans, sport utility vehicles, and trucks. In a typical unitized body and frame assembly, the structural components of the body portion and the frame portion are combined into an integral unit that is resiliently supported upon the vehicle wheels by the suspension system. Unitized body and frame assemblies of this general type are found in many relatively small modem vehicles, such as automobiles and minivans.
In both types of vehicular body and frame assemblies, it is known to provide a plurality of body mounts to facilitate the connection of various components thereto. For example, in a typical separate body and frame assembly, a plurality of body mounts are secured to the frame portion to facilitate the connection of the structural components of the body portion and other components of the vehicle thereto. Similarly, in a typical unitized body and frame assembly, a plurality of body mounts are secured to the components of the assembly to facilitate the connection of other components of the vehicle thereto. In both instances, the body mounts are usually provided with a resilient damper that prevents direct metal-to-metal contact between the adjacent components, thereby reducing the amount of vibrations that are transmitted therethrough.
Traditionally, the various components of vehicular body and frame assemblies have been formed from open channel structural members, i.e., structural members that have a non-continuous cross sectional shape (such as U-shaped or C-shaped channel members, for example). For example, it is known to use one or more open channel structural members to form the side rails, the cross members, and other components of a ladder frame type of separate body and frame assembly. To facilitate the connection of the body portion to the frame portion, a plurality of body mount support brackets are secured to the side rails of the frame portion. Such body mount support brackets have traditionally been formed from stampings that were bent or otherwise deformed to desired shapes to provide supports for the body mounts used to connect the various structural members of the body portion thereto. The use of such stamped body mount support brackets was relatively easy with traditional open channel structural members used to form the ladder frame assembly because both the stamped body mount brackets and the side rails were generally rectilinear in shape.
However, the use of open channel structural members to form the various components of vehicular body and frame assemblies has been found to be undesirable for several reasons. First, it is relatively time consuming and expensive to bend portions of such components to conform to a desired final shape, as is commonly necessary. Second, after such bending has been performed, a relatively large number of brackets or other mounting devices must usually be secured to some or all of such components to facilitate the attachment of the various parts of the vehicle to the body and frame assembly. Third, in some instances, it has been found difficult to maintain dimensional stability throughout the length of such components, particularly when two or more components are welded or otherwise secured together.
To address this, it has been proposed to form one or more of the components of the vehicular body and frame assemblies from closed channel structural members, i.e., structural members that have a continuous cross sectional shape (such as tubular or box-shaped channel members, for example). This cross sectional shape is advantageous because it provides strength and rigidity to the vehicle body and frame component. Also, in those instances where the vehicle body and frame component has a generally rectilinear cross sectional shape, vertically and horizontally oriented surfaces are provided that are well adapted to have the body mount support brackets discussed above secured thereto. However, in other instances where the vehicle body and frame components do not have a generally rectilinear cross sectional shape, such as those having circular or irregular cross sectional shapes, it has been found to be relatively difficult to secure the body mount support brackets discussed above. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a structure for connecting a body mount to one or more tubular members in a vehicular body and frame assembly.
This invention relates to an improved structure for connecting a body mount to one or more tubular structural members in a vehicular body and frame assembly. The vehicular body and frame assembly can include a pair of side rails having a plurality of cross members extending therebetween. Each of the side rails can be formed from a plurality of side rail sections that are secured together by body mount bushings. The body mount bushing includes a hollow cylindrical bushing portion having one or more V-shaped projections extending therefrom. The body mount bushings are provided to connect the adjacent structural components of the frame portion together. To accomplish this, an end of a first structural component and an end of a second structural component can be formed having respective recesses, within which the projections of the body mount bushing extend. Preferably, such recesses are complementary in shape with the shape of the projections. The structural components may be secured to the projections of the body mount bushing by any conventional means, such as by welding, riveting, bolting, and the like. The body mount bushings also provide a mounting support for connecting the body portion to the frame portion. To accomplish this, the bushing portions of the body mount bushings are sized to receive and support respective body mounts provided on the body portion of the vehicular body and frame assembly. The body mount bushings are preferably formed by a conventional extrusion process and cut to a desired shorter length as desired for securement to the adjacent structural components of the frame-portion.
Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.